Fuel igniting device



March 8, 1938. GARDNER ET AL 2,110,217

FUEL. IGNITING DEVICE Filed July 23, 1934 I N V EN TORS BY DasseZZ 12.) f neef@ 4g I I l e 44 l A TTORNEYS.

Patented Mar. 8, 1938 PATENT OFFICE FUEL IGNITING DEVICE Emile Gardner and Russell P. Kneen, Fall River, Mass.

Application July 23, 1934, Serial No. 736,597

7 Claims.

' This invention relates to a device for igniting solid fuels which must be preheated before they will support combustion of themselves.

Where solid fuels of a carbonaceous nature, such as bituminous or anthracite coal, briquettes and the like are employed in stoves and furnaces, considerable difficulty is often experienced in starting the re originally or re-igniting it after it has been permitted to go out,'due to the fact that such fuels require heating to a relatively high temperature before they will support combustion. The usual method of igniting the fuel in a stove or furnace is to employ kindling wood and the like and substantially raise the temperature within the furnace with only a small amount of fuel present. When this has been ignited, further additions of fuel are made, until a satisfactory bed of heated coals has been secured, after which, under normal conditions and careful attendance, the stove or furnace will burn satisfactorily, but periods of inattention permit the fire to die down to such an extent that it cannot be 11e-ignited and it is then necessary to remove the entire fuel supply from the grate and start a fresh fire.

Such disadvantages may be overcome and a fire more rapidly ignited or re-ignited after it is permitted to die out through an application of our invention. Some provisions have been made or suggested whereby beds of solid fuel might be ignited through extraneous sources of heat that. could be supplied at will, but these were subject to the disadvantages that they were not a permanent part of the installation and therefore necessitated frequent Vservicing or were, in fact, dangerous because of loose connections that arose due to the use of rubber tubing and the like to supply a gaseous fuel to the burner.

To overcome these objections in the normal operation of a furnace, and to improve on the suggested fuel igniting devices of the prior art are the primary objects of this invention.

An important object is the provision of a fuel igniting device which is so constructed as to permit primary combustion of atfluid fuel in a combustion chamber loutside the furnace and project this pre-ignited fuel into the furnace, where it is further burned, thereby supplying the heat necessary to raise the solid fuel to a temperature at which it will support combustion.

Another object of this invention is to provide a fuel igniting device in which there are no pipes, valves or the like projecting underneath the grate where they would tend to be clogged up by ashes, interfere with the removal of ashes or be damaged by the removal of clinkers and the like from the ash pit.

It is a further object to provide an igniting device which is preferably permanently connected to the stove or furnace and to a combustible gas supply by metal pipes, thereby avoiding the dangerous use of rubber tubing or other iiexible connections which are liable to leak or become disconnected and thereby form dangerous eX- plosive mixtures in the furnace room.

An additional object is to provide a device which may be readily attached to new installations or existing stoves or furnaces by the simple procedure of boring one or more holes in the wall of the stove or furnace, preferably at the back, or, if desired, at the side thereof, through which are passed conduits to conduct the products of primary combustion into the furnace.

A still further object is the provision of a fuel igniting device in which a combustion chamber outside of the stove or furnace proper permits primary combustion of a fluid fuel and then projects the products of this primary combustion in a plurality of flames into the furnace, preferably below the grate, whereby the flames are projected for a considerable distance and across substantially the entire bottom of the grate, thereby rapidly igniting substantially the entire bed of fuel, if such is desired.

'I'he burner of this invention is preferably provided with a continually lighted pilot, so that simply by turning on the gas, a strong ame is projected instantaneously under the grate. 'I'he pilot, while preferred, could be omitted, and the burner lighted with a match.

With these and other objects in view, which will be apparent from the sequent description,y and all of which are included within this invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawing in which is illustrated a structure in which the invention has been embodied. This described embodiment should not be considered as limiting, but as illustrative of a preferred embodiment of our invention, since various modifications and changes in details of structure will be apparent to those skilled in the art and these should all be considered as part of our invention.

Figure 1 is a sectional plan View of a stove or furnace showing the way our fuel igniting device may be attached thereto;

Figure 2 is a View in side elevation of the fuel igniting device shown as attached to a stove or furnace;

Figure 3 is a plan view of the igniting device ;A

Figure 4 is a view, chiefly in section, along the line 4-4 of Fig. 2; and

Figure is a section along the 'line 5--5 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

'I'he fuel igniting device of our invention comprises broadly a housing which may be conveniently located on a side or rear wall of the furnace and is preferably situated below the grate which supports the solid carbonaceous fuel. However, the device may be installed on a front Wall or in another position with respect to the grate, but when installed in the preferred position, it is particularly satisfactory for rapidlyr igniting as large a body of the solid fuel as may be desired.

`The igniting device comprises a suitable housing, or what may be more specifically called a combustion chamber, that is attached to the outside of the stove, furnace or other heating unit by means of short conduits or pipes. 'Ihese pipes pass through/the wall of the furnace or, stoveV and are attached b-y threads to the housing and may be rsupplied with a nut threaded, on, the inside yend of the conduit. In the preferred embodiment thesek conduits are relatively short and just barely pass through the wall of the furnace in order that they will not obstruct the ash pit nor will they be subject to clogging with ashes, clinkers and the like. In the drawing is illustrated an embodiment of the invention in which two conduits are employed, but it will be appreciated that a larger or smaller number may be employed, depending upon the size and shape of the heating unit.

The housing or combustion chamber has a relatively large opening on one of the sides, at a point somewhat removed from the wall which contacts with the heating unit to supply the air necessary for combustion. Entering the combustion chamber from the side opposite to that which isv in contact with the wall of the heating unit is a pipe or. duct to convey a gaseous fuel. This pipe or duct terminates in a burner wherein the air and gas are mixed to provide a combustible mixture. The burner projects toward `an inwardly extending member in the combustion chamber which acts inthe capacity of a flame spreader and directs the gas and air toward the outlet conduits through ywhich they pass toward the solid fuel to be ignited. The burner tip may be provided with a series of outlets that are directed more or less generally toward the outlet conduits and in this manner a plurality of flames which readily pass through the conduits Vmaybe provided.

In order to kadd to the convenience secured by the use of our fuel igniting device, it may be desirable to provide a pilot light which furnishes a continual ame near the burner tip and which readily ignites the burner when the valve controlling the flo-w of gas is opened.

- Referring now more specifically to Fig. 1, 2 designates a normal stove, furnace or other device for burning `solid fuel provided with a door 4 to supply fuel or remove ashes. Within the furnace is a grate as, for example, 6 to support a solidk fuel. On one Wall of the furnace 8, the fuel igniting device I0 of our invention may be attached. As illustrated in Fig. 2, our` fuel igniting device ispreferably located a short distance below the grate 6,- but it should be evident that it may be otherwise located with reference to the grate or positioned on another wall of the stove or furnace.

Our fuel igniting device comprises a conduit I2 connected to a'source of supply of a fluid fuel as,

for example, city gas, natural gas or other combustible fluid. To control the supply of combustible fuel, a valve I4 is attached tothe fluid fuel supply pipe I2 and by means of the handle I6 will control the supply of fluid fuel to the igniting device.

Attached to the valve I4 is a conduit I8 that terminates in a burner 25 for the gaseous fuel. This conduit may be constructed With flanges 20 whereby it may be attached to the body portion or combustion chamber 22 by means of nut and bolt assemblies 24.

The burner end of the conduit I8 is restricted in size to provide a smaller outlet 26 through which the gas rissues to the end of the burner. The end ofthe burner is preferably provided with a plurality of openings 28 connected to the smaller conduit 26 and opening into the housing or combustion chamber 22. Surrounding the burner end of the conduit I8 is a small sleeve 36 that may be screwed orjotherwise attached to the reducedportlon or nozzle 32 of the conduit I8.`

The sleeve 38 extends a small distance `beyond the end of the nozzle 32, butfis Vprovided with V- shaped openings 34 to supply air near the outlets 28 to the gas. issuing from said outlets. 'Ihe burner, designated generally as 25, projects a substantial distance into the body portion or combustion chamber 22 at one end and a projection 36 projecting toward the burner from the opposite side acts as a flame spreader and directs the flame issuing from the burner openings 28, 28 toward the two conduits 38, 38. `The combustion chamber 22 with the ame spreader 36 is preferably constructed as a unit, although it may be otherwise designed, and is provided with a rsubstantial opening 40 through which the air necessary for the primary combustion, as well as some for secondary combustion, may be admitted. The combustion chamber is readily attached to the stove or furnace by drilling a plurality of holes as, for example, the two holes designated as 42. Through these holesl are inserted the conduits 38k which are threaded at each end. 'Ihey are attached to the combustion chamber 22 by screw threads 44.,provided in openings in the combustion chamber and on the interior of the stove or furnace are held in place by nuts 46.

In order that the fuel igniting device may be put into operation immediately when desired, provision may be made for a pilot light which continually burns within the body portion or combustion chamber 22.y This pilot light is supplied with iiuid fuel from the conduit I2 by a tap 48 which, connecting with a conduit 50, carries the combustible fluid to 52, where a pilot flame may be kept burning close to the tip of the burner nozzle y25. To regulate the size of the pilot flame, a needle valve 54 may be inserted through the conduit I2 to control the opening in the tap 48. Other pilot control valves may be employed instead of the valve 54.

As will be readilyapparent from the foregoing description, our fueligniting device may be readily constructed and easily installed by anyone without special tools or equipment. As illustrated, vthe fuel igniting device is attached to the furnace or heating unit by drilling one or more holes throughthe wall, inserting the conduits and holding them in place by nuts. Where the wall of the heating unit is constructed of 'such material as tobe of great thickness, longer conduits may be provided or the device may be installed in vother ways which will be obvious t those skilled in the art. f

When installed the device is easily operated by igniting the pilot light at 52 and adjusting the needle valve 54 until a small but permanent flame is secured. Normally this flame is kept burning throughout the heating season when the device may be used.

When originally ring the furnace or heating unit a bed of solid fuel is placed upon the grate. The bed is preferably not very thick in order that there may be a satisfactory draft through it. By turning the valve handle I6 a flow of gas through the nozzle 25 is obtained and this is readily ignited by thepilot flame from 52. Within the combustion chamber 22 a primary combustion of the gaseous fuel is secured through the supply of air admitted by the opening 40 and brought into intimate contact with gas at the burner tip through the V-shaped notches 34. The flame produced by this primary combustion is directed partly by the restricted openings 28 and partly by the flame spreader 36 through the conduits 38 and into the heating unit where, in' contact With the air supply within the heating unit, a secondary combustion takes place, producing a great deal of heat. This secondary combustion is carried out as a long flame that, depending upon the opening of the valve I4, may be permitted t extend under substantially the entire grate and thus heat practically the entire bed of fuel thereon. In a short time the bed of fuel is heated to a temperature sufciently high to support its own combustion, after which the heating unit may be operated in the normal fashion.

As suggested above, the device is also particularly useful to restore a fire which has died down. It is then desirable to remove at least a part of the bed of ashes immediately above the grate and then turn on the gas supply by opening the valve I4, after which the bed of the coals is reignited without the necessity of removing all of the fuel from the fire-box and starting a fresh re with kindling or the like.

As described above, in normal operation, the

l housing 22 acts as a combustion chamber in which occurs the primary combustion of the gaseous fuel, but it will be appreciated that if the gaseous fuel is not ignited within the combustion chamber but is ignited within the heating unit, another mode of operation of the device may be secured.

While We have described our invention with reference to a preferred embodiment as to structure and method of operation, other structures and modes of operation will become apparent to those skilled in the art and such modifications are to be considered Within the scope of this invention as defined in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. An igniting device for a stove or furnace burning solid fuel, comprising in combination a hollow body portiony having at least two relatively short pipes projecting from one end thereof and adapted to pass through the wall of the stove o-r furnace, means engageable with said pipes for securing them in fixed position with relation to said wall, said body portion forming a housing having an opening for the inlet of air, a flame spreader in the housing, and a pipe for delivering gas into said housing.

2. A fuel igniting device comprising a fluid fuel supply pipe terminating in a burner whichA includes a plurality of restricted fuel outlets, a sleeve around the end of said fuel supply pipe provided with air supply openings to cooperate with the fuel outlets, a combustion chamber provided With an air supply opening surrounding the burner, a ame spreader Within the combustion chamber, and a plurality of conduits through which the flame is directed by the spreader to the fuel to be ignited.

3. A fuel igniting device comprising a fluid fuel supply pipe terminating in a burner which includes a plurality of restricted fuel outlets, means to supply air at the end of the fuel outlets, a combustion chamber surrounding the burner, a flame spreader within the combustion chamber, and a plurality of conduits through which the llame is directed by the spreader to the fuel to be ignited, said fuel being initially but only partially burned in said combustion chamber, whereby said partially burned fuel is caused to expand and thus be forced relatively farther from said conduits than if the fuel were not ignited until after passage through said conduits.

4. A fuel igniting device comprising a fuel supply pipe terminating in a burner which includes two diverging restricted outlets, means to cooperate with the fuel outlets to supply air thereto, a combustion chamber surrounding the burner, a flame spreader within the combustion chamber and two conduits in general alignment with the diverging restricted outlets through which the flame is directed by the spreader toward the fuel to be ignited whereby a wide area of the fuel to be ignitedis heated and ignited by said flame.

5. A fuel igniting device comprising a fuel supply pipe terminating in a burner which includes a plurality of diverging restricted outlets, means cooperating with each of the restricted outlets to supply air, a combustion chamber surrounding the burner provided with an opening for the ingress of air, a flame spreader within the combustion chamber and a plurality of conduits on the opposite side of the combustion chamber from the i fuel supply pipe through which the flame is directed by the spreader toward the fuel to be ignited whereby a wide area of the fuel to be ignited is heated and ignited by said ame.

6. A fuel igniting device comprising a fuel supply pipe controlled by a valve and terminating in a burner which includes a restricted nozzle, means cooperating with the nozzle to supply air at the tip of the burner, a combustion chamber surrounding the burner provided with outlet openings and an air inlet, a conduit leading into the combustion chamber and terminating near the tip of the burner to supply fuel for a pilot light, a flame spreader within the combustion chamber to direct the flame through the outlet openings, and outlet conduits connected to said outlet openings of the combustion chamber for conducting the llame from the combustion chamber toward the fuel to be ignited.

7. A fuel igniting device comprising a conduit for supplying uid fuel, a valve for controlling the supply of said uid fuel, a burner at the end of said fluid fuel supply conduit comprising a restricted outlet and means for supplying air at said restricted outlet, a conduit leading from the uid fuel supply conduit independent of said valve for supplying fuel to a pilot, a combustion chamber provided with an air inlet surrounding said burner, a flame spreader within the combustion chamber facing toward the burner and outlet conduits leading from the combustion chamber toward the fuel to be ignited.

EMILE GARDNER. RUSSELL P. IQEEN. 

